IFAD’s mandate is a noble one, enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty in developing countries and my passion for it dates back to when I was a student. I’ve been working with IFAD since the 90’s. At IFAD, we, regardless of our functions - be it administrative or operational - put all our energy and professional knowledge to contribute to IFAD’s mandate. But it’s when you are on the ground that you fully understand “why” and” how” IFAD makes a difference in transforming the lives of millions of smallholder farmers.

28 June 2013: The opportunity

Business as usual until 10 a.m., then Roxy, my manager, asked me “Daniela, the President is travelling to Ghana to participate in the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week, would you be available to join the delegation?" I thought “oh wow, first ever in my career at IFAD I was asked to join the President’s delegation” and guess what? My answer was “ YES”.

2 – 12 July: Getting ready

Hectic days! Little time to deal with all the logistic and administrative stuff you have to do before leaving on duty travel. Visa, tickets, information kits you CANNOT forget at HQ, medical check, security clearances and hotel booking.

Have you ever tried to book an hotel a week before an event attended by more than 1000 people? If you did, you know how hard it is! But if you have extraordinary colleagues like our team based in IFAD Ghana Country Office (thanks Sarah, Niels, Ulaç, Emmanuel and Daniel!) you can manage to have a roof on your head and we (Roxy and I) got a nice one, very close to the conference venue. Kudos to the travel unit as well, the latest version of the integrated travel module made my life much easier. Everything was well in place the day before “flying” to my destination, Accra, Ghana!

16 – 18 July :– Our days in Ghana
The main event that the President had on his agenda was his participation in 6th African Agriculture Science Week , "a continental gathering of all stakeholders involved in Africa agricultural development” focused on the theme “Africa feeding Africa through agricultural science and innovation”.

In addition to 6th African Agriculture and Science Week sessions, Ulaç, our country director in Ghana, organized a number of high level meetings including a bilateral meeting with the Vice- President of the Republic of Ghana.

What a week! I can’t even remember how many meetings the President had during those days but there is something I will never forget: the standing ovation for IFAD’s vision presented by our President to the 1200 participants, experts with extensive knowledge of African agriculture and science for agricultural development, attending the opening of the 6th African Agriculture Science Week. Why a standing ovation for IFAD’s vision ? Because IFAD’s vision is what is needed to move from a stagnant agriculture to a productive and remunerative one. Unfortunately, today we still have too many young people leaving Africa’s rural areas because there is no future for them there. But rural areas can change. African smallholder farmers can grow, and IFAD can help them grow by playing its role as development partner. But all this can happen only if governments, development partners and smallholder farmers change their mind-set and invest in agriculture, rural infrastructure, create vibrant markets and attract the private sector. Strong public and private partnerships will enable poor rural people to become successful business farmers and this is something that it’s already happening.

Meeting with Ministers of the Republic
of Ghana : an
opportunity to be educated on the great job
IFAD does in Ghana where
baobab fruit production
can become a profitable business for Ghanaian
small holder farmer.

This is IFAD’s vision, this is what our President said at the opening of the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week, this is why he received a standing ovation and inspired an engaging conversation on the social media channels.

PICO Knowledge Net is organizing the IFADAfrica East and Southern Africa (ESA) Annual Knowledge Management Sharing Workshop, to be held on 13 – 16 August 2013 at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. This is a follow-up workshop to the ESA All Country Learning Workshop that was held in Nairobi on 19 – 22 June 2012, under the IFADAfrica Regional Knowledge Management Network – Phase I. IFADAfrica Regional Knowledge Management Network-Phase II is being managed by PICO Knowledge Net with the overall aim of enabling continuous learning and sharing to achieve impact.

The IFADAfrica Regional Knowledge Management Network – Phase II which started early this year 2013, is focusing on putting the knowledge management into practice, testing and applying the framework, and learning what is needed to make the KM and learning system work and institutionalize it in the countries. It will focus on developing the competencies that project and government staff needs to incorporate the integrated KM system into their daily work.

The IFADAfrica Regional Knowledge Network-Phase I project focused on setting up the foundation for using knowledge management and learning, by building buy-in among project staff, developing a model for integrated knowledge management (KM) system and a conceptual framework and guidelines for how to operationalize KM in projects.

To facilitate efficiency and effectiveness in the learning process, three country groups were formed during IFADAfrica Regional Knowledge Management Network – Phase 1. These consisted of Group 1: Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania; Group 2: Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda; and Group 3: Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. A series of meetings were organized for the groups, which culminated in the June 2012 all-country group workshop. The workshop participants shared their practical experiences of integrating KM and learning in their projects, the challenges experienced, and the strategies employed to address those challenges. They also discussed the importance of peer learning, and communities of practice in facilitating learning across sectors within projects. At the end of the workshop, project teams developed action plans illustrating concrete actions and targets for adapting and operationalizing KM and learning that were to be achieved by June 2013.

It is expected that the above activities will strengthen knowledge management (KM) and learning at project and country programme levels. This is a priority for the IFAD ESA Division and is consistent with IFAD’s knowledge management strategy, which aims to strengthen knowledge-sharing and learning processes. The overall purpose is to improve project management processes by fully integrating knowledge management into all aspects of project management, including M&E, financial management, supervision and reporting- all aimed at enhancing the impact and scaling up of innovations and good practice.

IFADAfrica goal is to connect people, organizations and networks for the communication of experience, mutual learning and innovation for rural poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa. This network is about sharing, uptake and utilization of information, knowledge and practices generated by development projects and programmes supported by IFAD and other development partners in the region.

When was the last time you thanked your boss for making your job easy?

Earlier today, IFAD President, Dr Kanayo Nwanze, delivered a passionate speech to the over 1200 participants of the sixth Africa Agriculture Science Week in Accra, Ghana and received a standing ovation.

Thought provoking speeches that touch people's heart are rare. Words only come alive if they are delivered with flair and passion.

When this happens, you are on cloud nine!!!!! Because you are not only able to share soundbites that go viral on social media but also your job of rallying journalists and organizing interviews becomes easier.

This morning, I was lucky enough to experience this first hand. And believe me it was a rewarding experience.

After the inaugural session and the press conference, my colleague Daniela and I had to manage the journalists who wanted to interact and interview the President.

The President's messages are being echoed by all the speakers who followed him. His messages and call for action are travelling beyond the conference hall in Accra and are travelling across the African continent.

This speech will be one that will be remembered and cited for many years to come.

Agricultural development is essential if Africa is going to feed itself and reduce poverty, which we believe it can. It is also central to achieving other priorities, including economic and industrial growth to provide jobs for young people, and promote political stability. Science can help deliver on these long-term national and regional goals, but only if it receives proper support—especially within Africa itself. Some steps have been made, but more needs to be done and done quickly.

While spending on agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa grew by 20% between 2001 and 2008, most of that growth was in just a few countries. Only 8 of 31 countries have met the target for agricultural R&D investment of 1% of GDP, which was set at the 2004 AU Summit in Khartoum, Sudan.

It has been estimated that for sub-Saharan Africa, growth generated by agriculture is eleven times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth in other sectors. Agriculture can drive African development forward, and science can drive agriculture toward greater productivity, better nutrition and improved sustainability.

The need is urgent. Africa has the fastest growing population and the highest rate of urbanization in the world, along with a growing middle class. A productive and efficient food and agricultural sector are essential for sustainable economic growth, food and nutrition security, and stable communities and nations. Africa’s potential is enormous: the continent has the largest share of the world’s uncultivated land with rain-fed crop potential, underutilized water resources, a developing middle-class market for value-added food products and an underexploited intra- regional trade. Unlike many other parts of the world, in Africa there is room for agriculture to expand.

But it is also a continent of small farms, and to get the maximum returns, development efforts must focus on this sector. Small farms account for 80 per cent of all farms in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries, they contribute up to 90 per cent of production. Without them we cannot meet the growing demand for food, nor lift millions of Africans out of poverty and hunger.

Ghana’s support for the cassava sector is a good example of how science and agricultural development can work hand in hand to empower the smallholder farmer of Africa to reduce hunger and poverty. The first phase of the IFAD-supported Root and Tuber Improvement Programme which began in 1999, targeted the development, testing, multiplication and distribution of new varieties of roots and tubers, mainly cassava. The new varieties had faster growth, better taste and higher yield. Today, cassava, once considered a subsistence crop of the poor, has been transformed into a cash crop producing enormous profits along the value chain, including small farmers, who are themselves part of the private sector. Better linkages with markets can enable them to realize higher incomes and enhanced livelihoods. Currently the Roots and Tubers Improvement and Marketing Programme is proving that cassava can generate income for processing enterprises as well as millions of farmers, the majority of whom are women and youths. Uganda presents another success story, where the introduction of cassava varieties resistant to cassava mosaic virus (CMV) have resulted in an average yield increase of 10 tonnes per ha .Science can also produce more nutritious crops, such as Quality Protein Maize, which has been widely used by farmers and is reducing malnutrition in developing countries. NERICA rice (New Rice for Africa) is helping reduce rice imports across many countries in Africa and helping poor farmers increase incomes.

These examples show how science and research can stimulate agricultural modernization and attract private investment in agricultural value chains that are profitable, generate employment and incomes, and diversify smallholders’ livelihoods while making them more resilient to climate change and market price fluctuations. Successful technology development has made cassava an economic and strategic crop with multiple uses: as food, industrial starch, sorbitol for brewer's yeast, biofuel, glue, animal feed, and many others yet to be exploited by African agricultural research and development.This success story tells us another lesson: that research and development are most effective when they focus on primary concerns of their users. Technologies are only going to be adopted when agricultural businesses see their benefits, such as increased productivity, profits and resilience, or reduced production and marketing risks. Sustainable development means making our enterprises, including small farms, more productive and competitive.

But scientific innovation alone is not enough; getting the innovative technologies and approaches into the hands of farmers is key, hence the role of agricultural extension services must be strengthened. Coordination both nationally and regionally is important to develop and to transmit research—putting scientific advances to work on the ground. The private sector also has a key role to play in the growth of agriculture and the many related benefits for poor rural people and communities. That is why there is a loud cry now for productive and beneficial public-private partnerships to develop agriculture in a socially inclusive manner.

To ensure a sustainable food supply for a global population that will surpass 9 billion by 2050, more research will need to be directed towards agricultural growth that is ecologically sustainable, conserves biodiversity and ecosystems, and ensures that the land will be able to provide for future generations. As we look toward the post-2015 development agenda, clearly food and agriculture must have a central place, as they are vital to transforming rural areas. Therefore, let the celebration of the “6th Africa Agriculture Science Week” be a wake up call for African Governments, global partners, policymakers, research and science administrators, producer organizations and agribusiness entrepreneurs to embrace the Science Agenda, and to take action to enable science to play its part in developing agriculture to feed Africa and the world.

The authors are: Clement Kofi Humado, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Republic of Ghana and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome, Italy.

Small fish species are an integral part of the diets of many living
in coastal or water-rich areas of the developing world. They provide important
proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals to compliment the
consumption of carbohydrate-rich staple foods such as rice or maize. But
paradoxically, even as rural fishers are beginning to improve their livelihoods
by engaging in aquaculture and commercializing their catch, malnutrition and
micronutrient deficiencies have persisted or worsened in places like
Bangladesh, where approximately half the population lives below the food
poverty line.

Experts from WorldFish at IFAD

This is because commercial aquaculture has emphasized the
production of more profitable large fish species such as silver carp but
overlooked the nutritional contribution that small fish can make, says Dr. Shakuntala
Haraksingh Thilsted, Senior Nutrition Adviser to CGIAR’s WorldFish Center. Dr. Thilsted, along with Dr. Patrick Dugan (Deputy Director
General of WorldFish), came to IFAD headquarters in Rome on Friday, July 12th
to discuss the important role which small fish can and must play in aquaculture
in the developing world. During their well-attended morning presentation, they
also shared some of the latest findings and successes from a relevant
IFAD-supported project in Bangladesh.

Dr. Thilsted noted that official
estimates of fish production and consumption tend to exclude fish caught, consumed,
and traded in rural areas – therefore, the nutritional benefits of the small
fish that are widely eaten in such areas remain poorly documented and largely underestimated.
Additionally, preliminary data has found that fish intake in rural areas of
developing countries is decreasing due to factors such as population growth, increased
urbanization, and changing consumer preferences. The situation is particularly acute
in Asian countries such as Bangladesh, where recent changes in rice production
systems have diminished small fish habitats and affected migratory routes and
breeding grounds. At the same time, pond aquaculture has become increasingly
centered on the production of larger species of fish; in Bangladesh, the
cultivation of these fish for markets has involved the practice of poisoning
all smaller fish species in the pond, under the false notion that such small
species compete with larger species for resources. All of these factors have
led to decreased small fish intake – and therefore decreased nutrient intake – among
the rural poor.

But research done by Dr. Thilsted and her
colleagues at WorldFish is working to bring small fish back to their rightful
place at the table. The research has highlighted that small fish can provide an
excellent and sustainable source of both income and nutrition for poor fisher
communities. Importantly, WorldFish research has also found that small fish tend
to promote more equitable intra-household food allocation than do larger
species, benefiting women and children. This can be particularly crucial for
pregnant or breastfeeding women and their infants, who need the nutrients
offered by small fish for their physical and cognitive development.

To
harness the potential of aquaculture to improve nutrition and
health, WorldFish has
partnered with IFAD in Bangladesh on a grant-funded project,Linking Fisheries and Nutrition: Promoting Innovative Fish Production Technologies in Ponds and Wetlands with Nutrition-Rich Small Fish Species in Bangladesh.The project targets approximately 1,500 households with small fish ponds
in the northwest districts of Rangpur and Dinajpur – areas that
experienceparticularly high poverty rates and seasonal food
insecurity (‘monga’) – and approximately 500 households in the northeast
district of Sunamganj, an area dominated by wetlands and open water fishing. The project has focused onintroducing small,
nutrient-dense fish species, particularly Mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) in highly efficient, diverse polyculture systems that include high value
fish such as carp and freshwater prawn. It has
involved the deployment of recently developed
technologies and better management
practices for small fish production, including the introduction of Mola
broodfish in sanctuaries, closed fishing seasons, fishing gear regulations, and
market linkages for small fish commercialization. Preliminary results show that
small fish productivity in
the project’s ponds has increased from less than one to more than three tons per hectare, with concomitantly significant increases in household incomes and nutrition.

Fisher in Bangladesh.

As part of this project, household members
involved in small fish production have also been trained on methods to effectively
process and cook small fish, with a particular emphasis on nutrition education.
Getting mothers to value small fish so that they are used in the household’s
meal preparation is an important aim of the project, says Dr. Thilsted.
Finally, so that the important role of small fish may be better understood and
more widely accepted, a consumption survey will be conducted in the project’s households.
This survey, the first of its kind, will seek to capture species level
consumption information as well as seasonal trends in fish consumption related
to micronutrient nutrition.

Through
such advocacy and education, WorldFish and IFAD are working
together to spread awareness of the big part that small fish can play in
improving nutrition. Hopefully, the idea will “catch” on.

Estimated
number of small household ponds in Bangladesh: 4 million

Estimated
minimal production of Mola/pond/year: 10 kg

Estimated
contribution that Mola production can make toward adequate vitamin A intake in
Bangladesh: an additional 6 million children

On Friday 12 July, the IFAD gender desk hosted a very stimulating presentation by RanjithaPuskar, senior scientist from the WorldFish Center in Penang, who is heading up the gender activities in the CGIAR Aquatic Agricultural Systems. WorldFish is taking the lead on promoting gender transformative approaches (GTA), a step beyond ‘business as usual’ by addressing not only the consequences of gender inequality but also its causes. The event attracted interest from around the house and colleagues from WFP and Gender inAgriculture Partnership (Global Forum for Agricultural Research).

GTA provides the chapeau for the ongoing work that thegender desk is undertaking to promote household methodologies in order to realise the productive potential of smallholder households. A workshop/writeshop will be held in Uganda in October, with financial support from the Government of Japan.

Moving beyond closing the gender gap

‘Close the gender gap in access to resources and services, and ensure women have a voice!’

This has been the mantra of the gender and development community for decades

And progress has been made

We now see women ….

Gaining new skills and seizing opportunities

Engaging in market-linked activities

Accessing finance

Entering the world of profitable entrepreneurship

And participating and leading groups, from small producers to apex organizations

But is this enough?

Is a woman empowered….

If she has no voice within her home?

Is overburdened by laborious household tasks that consume her time, energy and damage her health?

Does not control the income she earns?

Is unable to prioritise the use of scarce household resources?

Cannot determine the number of children she willbear?

Is subject to domestic violence?

No!Merely closing the gender gap is necessary but not sufficient

We need to move beyond addressing the symptoms of gender inequalities

To understandthe underlying norms and cultures

That determine behaviour and shape attitudes

That define power relations in the household, community, market and organization

That are the fundamental barriers to achieving sustainable development for all

Society has demonstrated it has a capacity to change

Norms and practices that were once considered sacrosanct and inviolable

Have been adapted to the new social realities,

Such as abandoning widow inheritance in high HIV-prevalence communities

And how can we do this?

We need to identify and address norms that perpetuate social inequality and women’s vulnerability

Engage with men and women for participatory learning, dialogue and action

Support household planningto work towards common objectives that benefit all householdmembers

Create an enabling environment at the community level to support behaviour change

And then we need to ensure

That our understanding of the livelihoods, underlying norms and social behaviour of rural women and men

Lie at the heart of the design and implementation of IFAD-supported projects

In a little bit more than 24 hours, I will have the privilege of being part of and experiencing the buzz of the sixth Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW6) organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) which will be focusing on "Africa feeding Africa through agricultural science and innovation".

The readers and followers of IFAD social reporting blog know that this theme is very close to IFAD's heart and one that we all feel passionate about. At IFAD, we believe that Africa CAN feed Africa and more importantly we are convinced that Africa WILL feed Africa.

On 18 July 2013, IFAD President, Dr Kanayo Nwanze (@knwanze), a scientist by training and with a career spanning over three decades, will deliver the keynote address at this event highlighting the unprecedented opportunities that the agriculture sector offers and how right policies and increased investment in agriculture, research and infrastructure will allow Africa to FEED itself.

The event will focus on how and what researchers, scientists and development community need to do to make sure that:

When I first met the Maasai women back in December 2011, I was impressed by their shyness. Their eyes were trying to communicate to me but at the same time they preferred staying silent. Almost none of them talked. The project "Increasing HouseHold Income for Maasai Women Livestock Pastoralists in the Amboseli Area, Kenya" (funded by the Finnish supplementary funds and implemented by the NGO African Wildlife Foundation) was just at its very beginning and its impact on the Maasai women's livelihoods was not visible yet. The project aims at supporting income-generating activities which enhance pastoralist women's self-esteem and strengthen their socio-economic position both within the household and in the community. The project is part of the AWF's Kilimanjaro Livestock Initiative which aims at demonstrating that, with relatively modest investment in market integration, it is possible to yield positive results in terms of returns and incomes to livestock producers while at the same time manage the natural resource base in a sustainable way that is compatible with viable wildlife populations living in the landscape.

18 months later, I had the opportunity to travel to Kenya again to meet the same women's group and see if any progress had been made. I had a candid chat with the women pastoralist. Things are now positively different and not only at the economic level. This time I have found them confident and assertive. They are no longer afraid to raise their hands to express their needs; nor are they scared of the challenges ahead of them. Their body language talks clearly and their eyes have that particular sparkle that only highly-motivated people have. Some of the Maasai women even had the opportunity to travel to India and Tanzania for a learning trip. For a few of them, this was their first journey ever.

While talking to them, I realised that a sense of pride emerged from these women. Maseto and her fellows are now aware that their contributions to the household income is vital. All of them think big when it comes to their children's future. Although they all realise that the livestock activities have played and still play a big role in the improvement of their livelihoods and the lives of their families, the Maasai women hope that their children will leave the land to head to a better future. To them a better future is inextricably associated to access to education. For this reason, some of these women are already taking care of their children's college fees and their sense of pride is almost tangible.

But, how do the Maasai men see such a strenghtening of their women's role considering the male-dominated society? They candidly admitted that at the beginning, they did not appreciate having their wives taking on responsible roles. Back in the early days, the Maasai men did not allow their wives to join the group. The women decided to sit and bravely found the heart to face their husbands, who reluctantly allowed them to attend the group. Only at a later stage, the men realised that having a pro-active wife has a positive impact on the household.

While the project is now moving towards its exit phase, I can truly affirm that witnessing the Maasai women being empowered can surely be considered as a sustainable impact of the project. The sense of pride has emerged from us too.

About IFAD

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided grants and low-interest loans to programmes and projects that have reached several hundred million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome – the UN’s food and agriculture hub.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The designations employed and the presentation of material in this blog do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IFAD concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The designations “developed” and “developing” countries are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process.